Testing and its application in reading

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of the tests and testing systems ineducation and to study the strengths and weaknesses of some types of tests and testitems through whic

HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN

LANGUAGES AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Department of Foreign Languages

TV DQi HQc HulIi!

1111111111111111111111111111

101000443

Class: SA 0101

HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN

LANGUAGES AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Department of Foreign Languages

~ -,

.: Advisor's comments

.: Examiner's comments

Firstly, I would like to express my gratitude to my family members, especially mybeloved parents, who have given me spiritual as well as financial support for me tofinish this study

My heartfelt thanks should also go to Ms Le Thu ThUy, my advisor, whosethoughtful, patient guidance, and invaluable advice have helped me perfect myresearch paper

In addition, I would like to thank the staff of the School of Foreign Languages inHUFLIT, particularly to Mr Vii Qu6c Anh, for his constant advice andencouragement

Last, but far from least, I am truly grateful to my close friend, Mr B6 Xuan Hi~p.Hardly would I have completed this research paper if it had not been for his assistanceand support

ii

4.4 Information transfer 24

CHAPTER FIVE: SOME COMMON QUESTION TYPES 26

APPLIED IN THE READING TESTS

5.6 How to prepare an effective test to check students' comprehension 42

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Tests have always asserted their significant role in education because they are one ofthe most efficient types of measurement that can reflect teachers' competence andstudents' progress Based on the information collected from a test, teachers can have

an accurate diagnosis of their students' strengths and weaknesses so that they candecide on proper courses of instruction Nonetheless, it seems that not all teachers areable to design effective tests so as to assess their students appropriately

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of the tests and testing systems ineducation and to study the strengths and weaknesses of some types of tests and testitems through which we can learn some methods and techniques of designing tests tocheck students' reading comprehension

Because tests contribute largely to the students' success, it is very important that weshould grasp some basic principles of test construction so that we can design valid andreliable tests for our future students

Advisor: Le Thu Thuy

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Student: Phc;m Trang Ki~u Nga

The need for an accurate assessment of learners' knowledge and ability always takes acentral part in any instructional program To attain this goal, various kinds ofmeasurements have been applied, among which tests appear to be the most effectiveand preferable ones A test, as its name suggests, is a tool used to examine theknowledge and ability of an individual in a certain aspect In educational institutions,tests are utilized with the purpose of determining how much the learners haveprogressed Because of their special functions, designing tests requires a great deal ofknowledge and skills from teachers In fact, tests are of extreme significance to bothteachers and learners

A teacher, as a guider, an instructor, and an evaluator, always finds it a necessity tohave a profound understanding of his students' learning outcome For this reason, testshave been reckoned as an efficient assistant of teachers, since they provide theinformation about the students' progress and the teachers' competence in teaching Asfor students, tests offer them an opportunity to take their learning seriously, to do self-evaluation, and to set and attain goals for themselves Moreover, a test can also be aninspiration that spurs students to work harder in order to obtain better results

Being aware of the role of tests is vital, but being capable of creating an effective andfair test is even more important Unfortunately, many teachers still feel very confusedand even frustrated when designing tests It is due to the fact that most of them have

Advisor: Le Thu ThUy Student: PhQm Trang Ki€u Nga

not possessed sufficient knowledge and skills required in making tests Some teachersmay fail to create tests that are fair to all students For example, they may design areading test with too much complicated vocabulary or difficult structures Obviously,such an unfair test can annoy and discourage learners whose reading comprehension

is good, but who have problems in writing and learning vocabulary Another problem

is that many teachers tend to ignore the diagnostic function of tests; that is how toclarify what learners can and cannot do They conduct tests only with the purpose offinding out if the students are able to meet the requirements set by course ofinstruction Consequently, a large number of students are panicked and nervous whendealing with tests, as they are not certain whether their performance on a specific testOOcanshow all the knowledge and ability required for the course Harris and McCann(1994: 2) state that there is often great pressure on students because they have toincessantly assert their superiority over the rest of the class, and to strive for successunless they want to be branded as failures In the long run, it is obvious that they willshow their uncooperative attitude towards tests In other words, they will no longerassume tests as a good chance to challenge themselves, but an unwanted task to getover This is very dangerous to the education process As Brown (1994: 373) puts it:

More often than not, tests are seen by learners as dark clouds hanging over theirheads, upsetting them with thunderous anxiety as they anticipate the lightningbolts of questions they don't know, and worst of all, a flood of disappointment ifthey don't make the grade

The question raised here is how to supply teachers with enough knowledge so thatthey can be confident to design and exploit tests to its fullest This study is, therefore,conducted in an attempt to find out the solution to the problem

Advisor: U Thu Thuy Student: Ph\lm Trang Kdu Nga

The purpose of the study is to examine some typical items of test as well as categorizesome most commonly used question types In order to conduct the research, varioussources of material related to tests and testing were collected and studied After that,some test items and question types were picked out and discussed Having a profoundconcern in the crucial role of tests, the writer, as an English teacher to-be, carried outthis study with the hope that it would make a small contribution to helping prospectiveteachers, particularly her colleagues, grasp some skills in test making in order to servetheir profession in the future

Due to the writer's restriction of time and knowledge, the study has been confined toanalyzing some tests of reading, including those of TOEFL (Tests of English as aForeign Language) and IELTS (International English Language Testing System), thetwo internationally well-known testing systems Certainly, there must be many factorsthat have not been adequately discussed in this study; therefore, further researchshould be done to supply future teachers of English with enough knowledge and skillsfor the preparation of tests to improve their teaching career

The study opens with an introduction about the importance of tests and the testingsystem Following is a description of some common items of reading tests togetherwith their specific uses and effects Finally, the study gives a conclusion with somerecommendations

Advisor: Le Thu Thuy

be the most effective Sesnan (2001: 186) states:

If we want to compare weights we use scales, and if we are to compare heights

we use a meter stick If we want to find out how effective our teaching or Englishhas been, or if we want to evaluate our pupils' progress, we use tests andexaminations, because they provide the type of scale we need

For this reason, tests have been largely used as an index for the success of students intheir learning

Many definitions have been given about tests Gronlund (1981: 5) suggests that testing

is an instrument or systematic procedure used to assess a sample of behavior In otherwords, a test is one kind of measurement systematically organized to evaluate theperformance of test-takers Through tests, teachers can also make a comparison amongindividuals

Advisor: Le Thu Thuy Student: Phgm Trang Ki~u Nga

In terms of psychology and education, tests can be seen as a useful means attempting

to determine a person's intelligence, knowledge, or characteristic in a systematic way

(http://www.a2zpsychology.com/articles/importanceoftestinginpsychology.htm)

Concerning tests, Sesnan (200 1: 187) points out that tests are a classroom activity conducted by teachers on a regular or casual basis Because of being carried out in the safety of the class, the results received often do not have external value The fact that tests are carefully prepared by teachers leads to the assumption that testing is part of the teaching process Actually, it is a very difficult but indispensable part.

According to Irena and Nijole (http://www.kalbos.lt/txt/4/12.htm) testing is an integral part of the teaching program, which often involves a certain number of teaching components, such as teaching materials, teaching methods and techniques, testing and assessment, etc It is the teacher's job to decide and provide students with the best learning conditions so that they can do their tests satisfactorily.

Testing has always asserted its own importance as the most preferable kind of measurement The significant role of testing, in fact, derives from some positive influences it has on teaching and learning.

Via regular tests, teachers can partly evaluate their students' learning ability Tests are often considered a workable instrument to "ascertain the difficulties that lie in any part

of the language program" (Doff, 1994: 257) To be more specific, regular tests enable teachers to locate what barriers are most commonly confronted by the class or the individual students Thus, teachers are facilitated with a diverse stock of information

to identify what help students need most and to decide if they should keep going to the next stage or temporarily pause for a consolidation.

Advisor: Le Thu Thuy Student: Ph(lm Trang Ki€u Nga

According to Doff (1994: 257), testing is crucial in the way that it contributes to thedetermination of the effectiveness of teaching methods If, for instance, most studentsfail to perform certain kinds of test item, or to satisfy the standards required in a test,teachers then would find it essential to either modify or completely alternate theirmethods of teaching In contrast, a satisfactory outcome can assure teachers of theirmethodology as well as their students' learning capability

Sharing the same point of view, http://www.a2zpsychology.com/articles/importance oftesting in psychology.htm states that testing helps teachers determine whether onemethod of teaching works better than another Such comparison leads to a carefulselection of methodology, and it is of certainty that teachers will improve theirteaching skills and choose the best one for the sake of their students' progress

The most favorable effect of testing on learning is that of its feedback, whose nature is

to inform learners of their performance An informative and instructive feedback isbelieved to encourage students' self-evaluation of their progress According to Brown(1994: 385), a test feedback can supply learners with a variety of information abouttheir competence, which they can utilize to figure out the aspects they have actuallyacquired as well as the area of difficulty that hinders them most An exact diagnosis oftheir ability will undoubtedly enables learners to know what strong points should bemaintained and what weak ones should be reinforced to gain better results

Likewise, tests offer learners an opportunity to check how much and how well they areprogressing Many of them consider the test results an index for their success inlearning, so a good result can be a source of inspiration that encourages them to workharder and better than ever, and to set goals for further achievements Brown (1994:

Advisor: Le Thu Thuy Student: Phgm Trang Ki~u Nga

390) suggests that "Tests can crease motivation as they serve as milestones ofstudent progress."

In the meantime, learners can also take advantage of their own mistakes and those ofothers That is to say, they are able to learn from their incorrect responses and to obtainexperience so as to produce the correct forms of the language after the tests Brown(1994: 390) emphasizes that what the learners consider mistakes surprisingly canbecome "windows of insight about further work"

The importance of tests and testing to teaching and learning, specifically the benefitsthey offer, makes them a significant part of the instruction program Ashttp://www.a2zpsychology.com/articles/importance of testing in psychology.htm puts

it "No better way has been found to determine how much students have learned, whatthey seem able to learn, and how quickly they might learn it."

There have been several arguments against classroom testing Some of them assumethat testing takes up a lot of time which could be used for more teaching Others claimthat the results of tests do not always truly reflect students' ability because tests areoften conducted for only a limited time and cover only a certain part of the teachingprogram Therefore, some teachers find no reasonable need to have tests in class

Sesnan (2001: 189) stresses that tests are crucial since they enable teachers to identifywhat their students know and can do, and whether or not they need to adopt a certainmethodology Likewise, Harris an McCann (1994: 26) emphasize that teachers usetests simply because tests can evaluate a candidate's suitability to follow a course ofstudy

Advisor: Le Thu ThllY Student: Phgm Trang Ki~u Nga

It is generally known that testing is a good way to check how well the students areprogressing and how much knowledge they have obtained According to Harris andMcCann (1994: 26), such tests should be administered after a specific part of thesyllabus to provide teachers with enough time to identify problem areas and to modifytheir teaching methods when necessary Moreover, Sesnan (200 I: 190) states thattesting should be regarded as a relaxing and comfortable experience to make it a goodmotivation for pupils

Advisor: I.e Thu ThUy

CHAPTER THREE

3.1 Diagnostic test

TYPES OF TEST

Student: Phgm Trang Kdu Nga

One of the most important and widely-used types is diagnostic test, which is oftenadministered at the beginning of a new course Dealing with this type, Irena and Nijole(http://www.kalbos.lt/txt/4/12.htm) suggest that a diagnostic test is focused ondiagnosing students' strengths and weaknesses in their learning They also stress thatwhile other types of test are based on success, diagnostic tests are mainly based onfailure Actually, identifying students' failure is absolutely helpful because teachersare able to clarify the students' problems in learning and to ascertain what furtherteaching is necessary

Concerning diagnostic tests, Sesnan (2001: 166) suggests "A diagnostic test is like amedical examination When the doctor wants to find out the state of someone's health,

he examines the person and may do some tests Once he has a clear picture of theperson's health, he makes a diagnosis."

According to Harris and McCann (1994: 29), the purpose of this type of test is to findout difficulties encountered by students Hence, teachers should view it as a techniqueaimed at eliciting errors rather than at finding out correct answers or language Theyalso add that diagnostic information takes a critical part in teaching assessment.Through the results, teachers are able to design further course activities and work out

Advisor: U Thu Thuy Student: Ph(lm Trang Ki~u Nga

remedial actions Gronlund (1981: 12) indicates that "Diagnostic evaluation isconcerned with the persistent or recurring learning difficulties that are left unresolved

by the standard corrective prescriptions offormative evaluation."

It can be deduced from the extract that Gronlund seems to put more emphasis on the

role of diagnostic tests than on other kinds of test In his view, when a student

continues to perform badly in reading, writing, literature, etc despite all prescribedmethods of instruction, it becomes clear that a more detailed diagnosis is needed.Besides, he also states:

To use a medical analogy, formative evaluation provides first-aid treatment forsimple learning problems, and diagnostic evaluation searches for the underlyingcauses of those problems that do not respond to that treatment and, thus, is muchmore comprehensiveand detailed

3.2 Placement or entry test

Another kind of test, which is also carried out at the start of a course, is placement orentry test Irena and Nijole (http://www.kalbos.ltJtxtJ4/12.htm) suggest that placementtests can be applied to assist placement of students through the process of identifyingthe stage most appropriate to their ability Similarly, Harris and McCann (1994: 28)point out that the information attained in this test clearly reveals the level of test-takers, thus creates a basis on which teachers can rely to arrange students of the samelevel together The objectives of the test are also briefly clarified: "The aim is toproduce groups which are homogeneous in level that will use institutional and teachertime most effectively."

Advisor: U Thu Thuy Student: Phgm Trang Kdu Nga

Homogeneous groups, as far as the matter is concerned, are ones of equal level andability Teachers will, therefore, find it easier to conduct their instructions In ahomogeneous group As a result, teacher time can be exploited to its fullest

At the same time, Gronlund (1981: 11) defines placement evaluation as an activitydealing with students' entry performance to decide whether their knowledge and skillsare acceptable to start the planned instructions Moreover, the test also attempts toexamine to what degree the students have already grasped the objectives of the coursecontent Once receiving sufficient mastery, teachers may decide if it is possible to skipcertain units or range students in a more advanced stage

3.3 Achievement test

The third kind of test, which is needed for continuous assessment, IS calledachievement test According to Irena and Nijole (http://www.kalbos.lt/txt/4/12.htm).achievement tests are designed to discover how much knowledge students haveactually gained and how far they have satisfied the requirements set by the objectives

of the course The writers then subdivide this type of test into two categories: progressachievement test and final achievement test

The former may be organized a certain time after the beginning of the course; forexample, at the end of each week, each month, each term, etc ,and is expected toevaluate the progress students are making

Harris and McCann (1994: 28) emphasize that the goal of these tests is to find outinformation about how much knowledge the whole class and individual students have

Advisor: Le Thu Thuy Student: Phgm Trang Ki~u Nga

absorbed as well as what their learning purposes are These writers also state that ifcarefully designed, a progress test can supply a great deal of information aboutstudents' performance and progress within a short period of time Progress tests, theyadd, can also function as a valuable source of information for both teachers andstudents To be more exact, teachers receive information about their students'performance and students are provided with important feedbacks, which can help themfigure out their learning obstacles and formulate their own goals for the future

As the name suggests, final achievement tests are usually administered at the end of acourse Naturally, the main purpose is to determine if the learners have obtained thecourse content and the learning objectives set out by the syllabus

Achievement tests are classified into norm-referenced and criterion-referenced In a

norm-referenced test, an individual's performance can be compared with that of otherswho take part in the same test Consequently, a candidate can earn a passing grade inspite of some wrong answers if there is a high rate of incorrect answers among others

In a criterion-referenced test, however, each person's performance is analyzedaccording to a predetermined criterion or standard For instance, test-takers aresupposed to answer ninety percent of the questions correctly to meet the requirements

If they fail to do so, they will not be allowed to pass the test (http://www.a2zpsychology.com/articles/importance of testing in psychology.htm)

In spite of their difference in nature, norm-referenced and criterion-referenced tests

share some common characteristics Gronlund (1981: 14) makes a clear description ofthe similarities between them First of all, both require the measurement of thespecification of the achievement domain Second, both require relevant and

Advisor: U Thu Thuy Student: Phgm Trang Ki~u Nga

and are judged by the same quality of goodness The last shared characteristic is thatboth types are of great importance in educational measurement

3.4 Aptitude test

Unlike other types of test, which are primarily aimed at measuring learners'knowledge, aptitude tests tend to discover the talents or preferences of an individualfor certain activities For example, a person who shows deep interest in machinerywould probably get high scores on a test on mechanical aptitude (http://www.a2zpsychology.com/articles/importance of testing in psychology.htm)

Gronlund (1981: 292) states that aptitude tests are specially designed to predict futureperformance in such activities as music, art, etc The function of this type is even morethan a prediction In fact, it can be used in "determining learning readiness,individualizing instructions, in organizing classroom groups, in identifyingunderachievers, in diagnosing learning problems, and in helping pupils with theireducational and vocational plans."

3.5 Proficiency test

Of various kinds of evaluation, the proficiency test has its own status Sesnan (2001:29) makes it clear that the chief goal of a proficiency test is to tell what students haveactually absorbed during the course Hence, the test is often performed by the end ofthe course to ascertain that all of the students have completely been taught the coursecontent

Advisor: Le Thu Thiiy Student: Phgm Trang Ki~u Nga

According to Irena and Nijole (http://www.kalbos.lt/txt/4/12.htm) the main purpose ofthis type is to test language competence of learners irrespective of any language coursethat they may have pursued Usually carried out by external bodies such as theexamination boards, these tests have the aim of making an accurate description ofstudents' ability to master a foreign language The content of a proficiency test, asemphasized by many educators, does not depend on the content of the previouscourses taken by candidates Apart from that, Harris and McCann (1994: 28) suggestthat this kind of test also offers students an opportunity to demonstrate their ability tolearn a language The final result, therefore, is a clear evidence of their learningachievements

Advisor: Le Thu Thuy

CHAPTER FOUR

Student: Ph{lm Trang Ki~u Nga

DIFFERENT TYPES OF TEST ITEM APPLIED

IN READING

Being one of the two receptive skills, reading has always asserted its crucial position

in the process of learning any foreign language Gone are the days when reading was

considered a passive skill; that means all that readers have to do is just sit down, read,

and receive the information On the contrary, reading is a process in which readers

not only take in the language, but they also show their response to what is contained

in the reading text More importantly, reading is a means to support other skills Reading, first of all, enables learners to acquire the linguistic elements and the

structure of the language Besides, learners can also take advantage of variousgrammatical structures presented in a reading text to consolidate and enhance theirknowledge For instance, they can learn how to construct sentences, paragraphs, etc.Thus, their writing skill can be gradually improved Moreover, interesting readingtexts can offer learners chances for further discussion, which is very helpful to theirspeaking ability Harmer (1998: 68) cites "Good reading texts can introduceinteresting topics, stimulate discussion, excite imaginative responses and be thespringboard for well-rounded, fascinating lessons."

Because of its importance, teaching reading skill to students has been very urgent, andmeasuring students' reading ability has become necessary, too So as to have anaccurate assessment of the leamer's reading comprehension, there comes the existence

Advisor: U Thu Thuy Student: Ph{lm Trang Ki~u Nga

of a combination of various types of test items Among them are multiple-choice appropriate responses, true-false (alternative-response) items, open-ended (short- answer) questions, information transfer, and doze tests which are to be respectively

mentioned

Of all types of test item, the multiple-choice has been generally recognized as the mostwidely applicable and useful type It often consists of a problem and a list of suggestedsolutions The problem, which is also called the stem of the item, may be mentioned inthe form of a direct question or an incomplete statement The suggested solutions can

be listed in words, numbers, symbols, or phrases, and are called alternatives orchoices Test-takers are supposed to read the stem and then select the best alternatives

from the list given In each item, there is one correct alternative called the answer.

Other alternatives are distractors, which are sometimes called decoys or foils The aim

of using distractors is to distract students who are unsure of the correct answer, butthey should not result in trapping students into giving incorrect answers According toGronlund (1981: 186), there are several things to keep in mind when creatingdistractors First, distractors should be based on the students' most common errors,misunderstanding, or carelessness Teachers have no difficulty in getting thisinformation during their teaching time, so designing distractors that satisfy thisrequirement is within their reach Second, the distractors should be similar to thecorrect answer in length, vocabulary, sentence structure, and complexity of thought.Moreover, they must be parallel in form and grammatically consistent with the item'sstem

Example

Advisor: I.e Thu Thuy Student: PhlJrn Trang Ki€u Nga

Alzheimer's disease impairs a person's ability to recall memories, both distant and as recent as a few hours before Although there isnot yet a cure for the illness, there may

be hope for a cure with a protein called nerve growth factor.

1 The above paragraph ismainly about _

A impaired memory of patients

,/ B a possible cure for Alzheimer's disease

C. how to recall memories

D a protein called nerve growth factor

2 The word "impairs" in line 1is most similar to which of the following?

Advisor: Le Thu Thuy

Example

Student: Ph{lm Trang Ki~u Nga

The former does not limit the students' answer to a certain area; thus it can receive avariety of answers depending on students' own knowledge This may present somedifficulties to teachers when marking Conversely, the latter clarifies the specific type

of response called for by offering students four alternatives, and their task is to circlethe best choice Based on the students' choices, teachers then can easily decidewhether their answers are correct or not

The multiple-choice item also has advantage over the true-false statement in that itrequires the student to know what answer is correct if they want to receive marks

Example

Lincoln was born in 1801.

Lincoln was born in